Gwenom Part Two: Intergalactic Mayhem!
by SpaceRyder69
Summary: Months have passed since the death of Thanos, and Venom. Gwen pursues her quest to destroy Knull and free the Symbiotes from his control, while raising the symbiote her friend left behind. She's got a lot galaxy to explore, and terrible enemies to defeat. But she'll find many allies along the way, to face the Ultimate Darkness alongside./ Sequel to Gwenom Unleashed! Heavy AU!
1. Prologue: The Story of Gwenom

**This chapter is a recap! Proceed to Chapter 2 if you already read the Original! **

* * *

Hi, my name is Gwen Stacy.

But maybe you already knew that, I've met so many people...

And so much has happened, it's hard to keep track of all the faces.

If you're new, I'll try to give you the short version... If not, well, jump to the next chapter.

Once upon a time, I was a dorky teenage girl trying to get through highschool. My biggest concern in the world was getting Spiderman to notice me, or something. I grew up in an age of super heroes and aliens.

_"All these heroes and stuff are so cool, I wish I had some crazy super powers so I could help people too."_

But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for. Because then a meteor came crashing down from space, and an alien hijacked my body. His name was Venom, and as far as tall dark and scary goes... He was pretty up there. Venom was a symbiote that couldn't survive without a proper host. And what do you know, I was a perfect match. Who say's fate isn't real? Anyways, our relationship was a little rocky at the start...

_"Alright, you need to start giving me some answers if you're gonna be living inside my body, parasite."_

**_"PARASITE?!" _**

"_Yeah, parasite... You give me answers, and I feed you, how does that sound?"_

_**"... Acceptable..."**_

But then an alien bounty hunter or something showed up, hunting Venom. And after a little bit of convincing...

_"Listen to me you parasitic slimeball! If you're so convinced that we can't do ANYTHING to stop this guy, then our only real options are dying on our back, or dying on our feet. And with all the shit you've put me through today, I think I'm ready to outlet some of this frustration, so we're going whether you like it or not!"_

_**"Alright, Gwen... Lets give your idea a shot..." **_

_"Awesome... But first... You can change our appearance right?"_

_**"Correct, did you have something in mind?"**_

_"Bitch, you're in my head, you know exactly what I have in mind."_

We decided to give the super hero thing a try. Next thing I know, I'm fighting alongside Spiderman and getting saved by Tony Stark. It was a hell of a weekend, but hardly the craziest thing that was going to happen to me. I moved into the Avenger's Compound, got introduced to Vision and the War Machine, before we ended up on what would be my first mission... And I wasn't ready for it.

_"Emil Blonsky, codename... The Abomination."_

_"He's... Like the Hulk?"_

_"Blonsky was a super soldier, not unlike Steve Rogers... But while attempting to capture Dr. Bruce Banner, he injected himself with some of the Hulks blood and well... Wasn't a very good mix... The guy is a nutjob, megalomaniac, violent, and all those lovely qualities were enhanced when he became this thing."_

We were tasked with containing a monster, one that could easily overpower any one of us. So we combined our efforts, and took the fight to the beast not far from Seattle. It was a brutal battle, and fighting on a battlefield surrounded by corpses gave me my first real look at what the Avengers were dealing with. What being a hero really entailed... And when it came down to it, I wasn't the one that pulled the trigger. I couldn't bring myself to do what needed to be done, it was all Venom...

**_"We need to consume more." _**

See, Venom had this interesting ability. In which having a "filled tank", would give us more power. And I guess meat was the strongest fuel we could find, aside from chocolate but I think the jury is still out on that one... We were surrounded by corpses, I didn't want to do it but-

_"NO! Absolutely not! We are not... I am not..."_

_**"They are already dead, Gwen! ****Are these useless corpses worth more than the living humans in that city!?"**_

_ "Shut up! They're still... People, I won't eat people!"_

_**"Then the death of anyone else today is on YOUR head! ****This is what you wanted isn't it?! You want to fight, you want to save people, look at the bodies Gwen! DO IT! ****Hundreds more will end up like this because you hesitated, if you don't act... I will."**_

_ "I didn't want this... Everyone will think I'm a monster."_

_**"Then I will take the blame." **_

_"Venom..?" _

_**"Tell them I overpowered you, tell them I warped your mind, whatever you have to."**_

_"Why would you do that?"_

_**"Because I don't care what they think of me, of us... ****I will do what has to be done, no matter the cost."**_

I didn't have a very good understanding of Venom early on. But I was starting to realize that he had his own desires and dreams, beyond just being a parasite forced to coexist off of another creature. I can imagine that being labeled as a completely dependent sludge ball would do some nasty things to your self esteem. He took pride in his strength, but also acknowledged when it wasn't his.

There was someone else, toying with us through our symbiote connection.

**_"We never should have gotten that powerful... _****_I am no expert on my peoples physiology, but I don't think I've ever heard of a symbiote wielding so much power, not without a significantly stronger host."_**

_"Do you think it might have something to do with that voice?"_

**_"I do... My memories of our history are negligible, but our kind didn't just evolve into existence like yours... _****_We were created, for what purpose I don't know... What I do remember, is that somewhere along the way, as we consumed the other races of our homeworld, we lost connection to the one who created us."_**

_"And now maybe... Whoever created you is trying to reconnect..."_

**_"With every race we consumed, we gained higher sentience and complex thoughts, feelings. When we w_****_ent after that Abomination, we were nothing but raw anger, hatred, a hunger to destroy, consume... We reverted to a primal mindset."_**

_"And that's how it was able to reach us... So much power, and it all came from... Your creator, you think?"_

**_"I do. _****_A_****_ fraction of that beings power flowed through to us, why it would let us borrow its power... I do not know."  
_**

_"It doesn't matter what its reasons are, or how much power it can give us... We can't do that again._"

**_"I agree." _**

Venom feared his creators control, and I didn't blame him. But it wasn't just a fear of being controlled, it was the fear of losing who he was. It was very... Human, of him I think.

**_"I do not want to be mindless rage and hunger... I want to be, Me."_**

After the Abomination incident, we got sent on a small vacation while Stark handled the press. I wasn't technically an Avenger yet because I wasn't old enough to sign on to the Sokovia Accords, so deploying me in the field was sort of an oopsie. While everyone wanted to know who the "Woman in Black" was, I got to go home and visit my dad for the first time in a while.

Of course, what was supposed to be a nice relaxing vacation, turned into a conspiracy with lizard people.

I told you it got weirder didn't I?

It all started when we chased after some man in a high tech suit, evidently known as "The Prowler", after he interrupted our evening.

**_"Are we going to kill him?" _**

_"No, but I am gonna kick his ass."_

All we succeeded in doing was getting ourselves into more trouble, finding out soon after that the Prowler was working for an organized group using the Connor's Institute of Technology as a front for genetic experimentation. They were trying to create enhanced individuals, and messing with one of their agents got me into a lot of trouble with them. The kind of trouble that was bad for my friends and family. An investigative reporter named Eddie Brock pointed me in the right direction, but the Prowler made it clear that if I didn't back off, they'd hurt people I was close to.

This just pissed Venom off, that I could be so weak. So when one of their 'enforcers' came out to teach me a lesson, Venom didn't help me fight back.

_"You can call me, Titania."_

A super human woman, she was a brick house. Built like a tank with incredible strength and durability. With Venom, it probably would have been an even fight all things considered. Without him however... Well, I was beaten into a bloody paste. Afterwards I couldn't go home, I couldn't go to the Avengers, and ended up getting helped by my friendly neighborhood, Spiderman. But before I was able to come up with a plan, I had somewhat of a falling out with my live in alien...

_ "You know what? FINE! You're right! I was scared, and I didn't know what to do! In case you haven't been paying attention, I'm just a KID! I need help, because I really don't know what I'm doing! But just when I think I can actually do something with the only person I can trust to have my back, you abandoned me because you were throwing a tantrum!" _

_**"I-"** _

_"Look at me Venom! Is this okay? Was this worth proving a point?!" _

_**"..."** _

_"So that's it? You've got nothing to say?"_

_**"You humans... You're infuriating, ****Too many emotions, so fragile... All it takes is one bad day and look at you, ****You're falling apart."**_

_"I'd rather be falling apart, than a god damn parasite."_

I didn't want to give up, so I pooled my resources, got into contact with Eddie Brock, and we put together a plan. With or without Venom, I was going to take back control. The CIT had found itself firmly at the top of my shit list, and we made them pay for what they did. Breaking into the facility under cover of night and making our way to the sub level we were confronted by the Doctor himself.

Turns out, batshit crazy was going around these days. Not only was he obsessed with creating more enhanced people, but Connor's had experimented on himself as well. Turning himself into some kind of freaky lizard man. Once again, this wouldn't have been a problem if Venom was cooperating...

We had to run, leaving behind a few enhanced subjects in their cages. We had our evidence, we just needed to get it to the Avengers or the police. Of course, they chased us. Titania had us cornered with a group of their armed men, and they took plenty of time torturing me. But no matter what they did, I kept getting back up, even if it hurt. Luckily, while I was being toyed with, Venom had a revelation of his own...

_**"Why?" **_

_**"Why are you putting yourself through this?"**_

_"This is what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to be a hero right? This is what's expected of me."_

**_"When did you become so strong?"_**

_"I didn't."_

_"Why won't you help me?"_

We'd both been fighting our other half, I'd resisted the urges that Venom gave me and he tried to fight the fact that he liked the idea of being heroic. He liked the idea of being praised, and treated like something more than a monster, even if he couldn't admit it. So, we found a way to meet in the middle. And together, we defeated Titania.

_"You're NOTHING compared to me! Why would I be scared of you!?"_

_"Because, bitch! __I **eat** people!"_

Afterwards, well... Afterwards we met up with Iron Man at the CIT, it seemed my party through New York had gotten peoples attention. And the Doctor had released his other experiments, turning his security staff into a horde of lizard monsters. Along with support from two more enhanced individuals trying to buy their freedom by helping him. There was Amy, a girl infused with DNA from Pietro Maximoff. And Kane, a man with various alien DNA spliced into his body, including that of our favorite Asgardian, Thor.

Once things were dealt with there, I said goodbye to a lot of people. To Eddie Brock, to my friend Miles, and to my Dad again. Because I had to get back to work. I also made promises, promises I couldn't keep. That girl, Amy, I wanted to help her, she was young... Younger than me. But once she'd been taken away, they never let me go see her.

When the time came for me to sign the Sokovia Accords, to officially make myself an Avenger, I couldn't do it. Because I refused to be used as a figurehead, for a set of laws I didn't agree with. So I stood in front of the world, and told them I didn't want to be an Avenger, and afterwards I returned home... Back to a normal life, but that didn't last very long either.

I still had a promise to keep, after all.

Through a series of back alley dealings and dirty work, I found the location of the enhanced taken away after the CIT incident. With the help of some former SHIELD operatives, we broke into The Raft and sprung them. Freeing Amy, Kane, and Titania. After that, we were on the run again. Hiding out in one of Kane's old safe houses in Manhattan. While we were together, I learned a lot about them... Kane was pretty agreeable, Amy was still sort of traumatized, so talking to her wasn't easy.

And Titania, well... I think maybe she had it rougher than all of us. I tried to force answers out of her, and that sort of back fired...

_"I worked at the CIT as a tour guide, but that's hardly a job that can pay for things like medical expenses when your son has tumors growing in his brain. So I begged my boss for a raise, I told him I'd do anything if it meant saving my sons life... So he offered me a special treatment, said that even if I didn't survive he'd pay for everything himself. I woke up a week later, and I was a god... But my son died, alone, while I was asleep. Dr. Connors offered his condolences, and said he tried to help, but the cancer was too far along... But that's okay, because I got that huge pay raise, and this incredible new body and power."_

_"Mary, I'm so sor-"_

_"No, don't you dare pity me, You wanna know why I hate you so much? Because you're an optimistic little bitch who doesn't understand how the world works, you think things will just get better eventually, that anything can be fixed. Stupid, your life will get a hell of a lot easier once you understand that sometimes bad shit just happens, and there is nothing you can do about it..."_

_"But... Is that really it? Shit happens?" _

Somehow, even after all of that we managed to make it work. Spending a year hiding out in a basement, turning into our own barely functional little family. It was nice to belong again, I don't think I could fit in anywhere besides with a bunch of other freaks.

And then Thanos happened...

You all know the story, aliens come to earth searching for magical rocks, and what Avengers remain get together an try to stop them. Short version? We lose. Amy dies trying to save us, Thor shows up late, and the big purple bastard Snaps half of all life out of existence. I lost everyone then, any friends or family I had left. Even Venom disappeared... For the first time in two years, I was alone in my own head and I hated it.

After that, we killed Thanos, but it didn't matter. The damage was done.

The years started to roll by. We had a small confrontation with Connors again after he escaped prison, the maniac was attempting to use Gamma Radiation to evolve his people further. And after injecting himself with the Titan Serum, the same super juice that gave Titania her power, he was too strong for us. Luckily, the Hulk was more than powerful enough to beat him.

But not before I was given a hefty dose of Gamma Radiation, and an injection of the Titan Serum myself. I hadn't really expected to get super powers from it, my radiation poisoning was so far along I thought I was already dead, and just wanted to get one last shot in on the big scaly bastard.

_"Put. That. Down." _

_"This? You want, this? This right here? Well you know what?"_

_"Don't you DARE!"_

_Before injecting it right into my arm._

_"FUCK YOU!"_

Things didn't really get easier. The world was still a mess after losing Half the population, Iron Man wasn't helping, so we were working with a skeleton crew. Next thing we know, some celestial robot thing was sent to earth to collect energy released from the Snap. We sort of hastily threw together what Avengers we had, combined with a wizard named Wong, and intercepted it in Wakanda.

To be completely blunt, this thing ragdolled us. We were no match for it, the only one that even had an effective weapon against it was Thor, and he was drunk. Lucky for me, that Gamma Radiation had some lasting effects, and I was turned into the She-Hulk through an excessive bout of rage. And then, with Wong's support, and Stormbreaker in my hand, we destroyed the Purifier.

It just cost me an arm...

Things were quiet after that, for a few years at least. We were all still coping with the defeat we suffered at the hands of Thanos, desperately wishing we could go back. And our wishes were eventually answered, in the form of Scott Lang, Ant Man. I won't claim to understand how a Quantum Tunnel works, but with Stark's assistance, we managed to traverse time itself.

We collected the Infinity Stones from the past, losing Black Widow, and somewhere along the way I spoke with a creepy skull faced woman on the planet with the Soul Stone... Anyways, we snapped our own fingers once the stones were together. After five long years, we brought everybody back!

Unfortunately, Thanos from the past came after us. Using Quantum Tunnel technology he stole from Nebula. We were dead to rights, before Doctor Strange showed up. Him and Wong opened dozens of portals, across space and reality, summoning thousands of allies and friends the Avengers had made over the years. In one final battle, the fate of the universe was decided...

And I had my old friend returned to me, if only for short while.

It all came down to the wire, with a mad grab for the Iron Gauntlet. But while Thanos managed to get the stupid glove, my powers combined with Venom's once more, we greatly overpowered him. And in his moment of triumph-

"I am... Inevitable!"

We struck, Venom took Thanos' entire arm, and absorbed the stones into his own body. Giving us all the power we needed to bring an end to this once and for all.

"And we, are Venom."

And that's it right? We kill Thanos, snap his entire Black Order out of existence and the entire universe lived happily ever after.

No such luck.

You remember the voice? The creator of the symbiotes? Sorta left him out of the story until now, because this is where he gets important.

The Symbiote God, Knull, who seeks to consume all life in the Galaxy and plunge it into darkness. A being that has killed celestials, created the symbiotes, and wields unimaginable power even while bound to a dead world in the darkest part of Space. And some time ago, he planted a target firmly on my back. He wants his children returned to him, every surviving Symbiote, which meant Venom. But with the Snap that killed Thanos, Venom was killed as well. The radiation from the Infinity Stones was too much for him, and he wouldn't have survived the Gamma Radiation in my own body for long anyways.

The parting was bittersweet, to lose him after just getting the bastard back. But he left me with a wish, something to keep me going forward...

**"This was the only way to free you from Knull, And in turn, I believe you can free what little remains of my people from him."**

Venom left me with all the he could, the egg of a new Symbiote growing inside of me. With every generation, Knull's control over their species weakened. And grown inside of me, this symbiote would be adapted to my body perfectly. So I moved forward. I would honor his wishes, somehow, someway I would find out how to kill a God. This journey, it took me far away from the earth... But not before I left my enemy with a stinging message, making it clear what my intentions were.

_"This is not a warning, and I am not here to bargain... This is a Declaration of War. You want this symbiote? Well you're gonna get it, and me, and a whole lot more when I come for you. So you sit tight in your prison, because I'll be coming for you when I'm damn good and ready."_

_"You understand NOTHING! You want a war with ME!? I am a GOD! And you are nothing but a pathetic mortal! I will make sure everything you care about falls before you! You will have to climb a mountain of corpses to reach me! And YOU WILL BEG FOR DEATH BEFORE THE END!"_

_"Hmph, clearly you haven't been paying attention... I'm ready for anything you can throw at me, I'm ready to sacrifice anything to make sure you die... I'll wade through an ocean of gore and carnage to put you down for good. Now stay the fuck out of my head."_

And then... Well, then I left Earth behind. Saying goodbye to my friends and family, departing with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who promised me a ride to Xandar where I could begin my search for leads. It was going to be a long journey, a monumental undertaking to bring down a God...

But I was ready for that.

I started out as a wide eyed teenage girl obsessed with heroes.

But now, I'm a monster, an Avenger, a Hulk, a wielder of both Stormbreaker and the Infinity Stones, a titan killer.

How hard could it be to add "Godslayer" to that list?

I guess we're gonna find out...

My name is Gwen Stacy, and this is the other half of my story.


	2. A New Arrival

"No to the left! MY LEFT! Wait, no, the other way! Okay now-"

"PICK A SPOT DAMMIT!"

"O-Okay, over there is good!"

I set down the large pallet of metal girders, breathing out a small sigh of relief as the strain was taken off my muscles. Rolling my shoulders and stretching a bit, earning more than a few glances from other works on the site. I didn't pay them any mind, I knew I looked good. I stood at seven feet tall and had a finely toned, strong body, keeping my shoulder length blonde hair tied back while working. Wearing a dirty white tank top and blue jeans.

"Alright, I think that's good for today," Said the foreman, "Thanks for the help Gwen."

"Don't mention it," I waved him off, "See you guys tomorrow, maybe." I replied with a shrug, making my way out of the construction site.

Right, lets do a little catching up shall we?

So, I left Earth about... Four Months ago? Yeah, that sounds about right. The Guardian's took me to Xandar, figuring this would be a good place to start asking questions and find more information about the Dark Sector. But it wasn't just information, I'd need a ship too. The Guardian's were sympathetic to my cause, but didn't seem too interested in chasing after a God, actively looking for a fight. They were also looking for some green lady, Gamora I think.

However, things hit a snag when I arrived here on Xandar. Evidently, this planet was decimated when Thanos' began his search for the infinity stones all those years ago. The world invaded, and half the populated slaughtered. The population was then halved _again_ when he snapped his fingers. So yeah, these people have had a rough time of it. So in exchange for some information, and a place to live, I've been helping out. Rebuilding is a little easier when you've got super strength and near infinite stamina after all.

And the time among these people has helped in other ways too, giving me time to grow that present Venom left for me...

_**"Can we train now?" **_Her voice was higher pitched, sharp. But still carried that same warped guttural tone that Venom had.

"Hmm, maybe, we can check in with Rider," I shrugged, as we made way for my apartment. "I've gotta call dad first."

_**"Talk to Grandpa later, train now!" **_

"No, and stop calling him that!"

_**"That is how it works though isn't it?" **_She asked, knowingly pushing my buttons. **_"You are Mom, so he is Grandpa!"_**

"Ugh..." I rolled my eyes, not buying into her game this time, stepping into the elevator that would take us up to my home. "Just give me ten minutes and then we'll call Rider, okay, May?"

**_"Hmm... Fine."_**

My "daughter", if you could call her that. She decided herself upon the name Mayhem, I call her May for short. Every bit of headache that Venom was, so that's fun. She just loves referring to me as Mom, and I suppose that isn't... _Technically_ wrong, I just don't like the implication that I did the horizontal monster mash with Venom. I mean it's not like I _asked_ him to give me another symbiote.

She shared some of Venom's behavior, but was a bit more... Bubbly, yeah I think that's a good way to describe it, Childish even. And I could tell she'd picked up more human emotions as well. That, along with some abilities Venom never seemed to possess. And just as Venom predicted, she had a total immunity to the Gamma Radiation inside my body. And also she-

"Finally!" As soon as we stepped through the door, she split from my body. Stepping out of me with ease, taking the form of a humanoid slightly shorter than myself. Her body was a rippling form of blue and black swirling together. She still has a head of similar shape to Venom's with those big teeth, but she also had a short mane of wild black hair as well. "So hungry... You should eat more!" She added, heading for the fridge. "Or let me get food on my own!"

I sighed lightly, shaking my head. "You know that's dangerous, we still aren't sure how long we can actually be apart before it starts to effect you."

"And it might not effect me at all," She argued, "We don't know yet, because you won't let me try."

"Maybe, but why risk it?" I countered, making my way over to my own personal communication terminal. Before leaving, Rocket helped me set up one for my father back on Earth, and we even showed him how to use it. I just had to tune into the right frequency and- "Hey dad!" I shouted as the screen flickered to life. I could see the inside of his apartment.

"Huh? Oh, hey Gwen," He answered, coming into view. I noticed it was pretty dark, and his clothes were a bit disheveled. "W-What uh... What's up? How are you?" He answered, sounding a little nervous.

Did I screw up and call him in the middle of the night? "I'm fine, works keeping me busy, still on Xandar." I shrugged, "How've you been?"

"Great, really great actually... Just uh, keeping busy," His smile was a bit off, I noticed his cheeks were a little red too. "How's May doing? Behaving herself?"

To which I chuckled, "When she can be bothered too."

"I heard that!"

Making both me and my father laugh, "Well, I'm glad you're doing okay, any luck getting a ship yet?"

I sighed lightly, shaking my head. "Not really, there have been offers but... Well, I'm gonna need something a little more sturdy than a cargo freighter if I'm gonna make the trip." I explained, "And well... Also don't really have a destination yet, and I'm still training May."

"I guess that makes sense," He nodded, before yelping suddenly and shifting his eyes away from the screen. "H-Hey! Not now, can you wait a minute?"

I quirked an eyebrow, who the hell was he talking too? "Dad, what are you doing?"

His face turned a deep shade of red as he looked back at me, "O-Oh uh, ya know just... Stuff."

And that was when another familiar face entered the screen, leaning over my father to see me. "Oh, so I'm stuff now huh?" Her reddish blonde hair unmistakable.

"MARY!?" I exclaimed, my own face turning red as well. "Oh my god dad, you didn't!"

"L-Look I just, we were talking one evening and- uh, well," He was fumbling for words, while I could barely even handle what was happening. "When a man and a woman go so long without-"

"OKAY!" I backed away from the computer, "I'm gonna hang up now! I'll talk to you later!" Ending the call before any more of _that_ was seared into my brain. "Ugh..." I shook my head, turning back to Mayhem. She was currently sitting on the countertop, legs crossed with a chunk meat half in and half out of her mouth as she chewed it. "You uh... Want me to cook that?"

"Nope." She said, shaking her head before swallowing it whole. "Done calling? Let's find Rider!"

"You are relentless," I sighed once more, shaking my head. "Yeah fine, I'll give him a call."

There were a few reasons I didn't let Mayhem just run around and do whatever she wanted, besides the ones I'd tell her. For one, I didn't exactly want to broadcast that I was on Xandar, part of what I was planning meant keeping Knull in the dark as much as possible. Second, was that I'd been concealing the extent of my abilities from the people of Xandar. Mainly because I wasn't sure how they'd react to knowing they had someone like me among them, and also because well... They already had a protector.

"Go for Nova." His voice sounding as he appeared on the screen. A young man, only a year or two older than me actually. With a body like Thor... I mean, before he got fat. Garbed in an armored black jumpsuit, with golden bracers and boots. He wasn't wearing the helmet at the moment, and had short dirty blonde hair. Based on the wind howling around him and that fiery golden aura, I had to assume he was flying.

"Go for Nova?" I repeated, releasing a short laugh. "Sorry didn't realize I caught you on duty, Rich."

He dropped all sense of formality, "Oh, hey Gwen," Touching down on a rooftop, the glow faded away. "Yeah just on patrol, a few of our warning probes went offline for a little while, it's got command spooked."

I quirked an eyebrow at that, "Went offline? Are they back up now?"

"Yeah, but they were down for a good thirty minutes."

Huh, sounds like just enough time to slip something past them. "Then I guess I won't bother you, Mayhem was just getting bored."

"Don't tell him that!" She shrieked from out of view of the camera.

Earning a nervous laugh from Rider, "Yeah sorry girls I don't think I'm gonna have time for a training session today, maybe tomorrow, or whenever command calms down..." He hesitated for a moment, "You could always join me out here you know?"

This again... "Hey, Xandar is your territory, I'm just visiting." I reminded, "Don't wanna steal any of your thunder."

"Oh come on Gwen," He waved me off, "You're one of the Avengers, you killed Thanos, trust me the thunder is already long gone."

Yeah that was another thing, ever since the battle on Earth, the Avengers had become much more widely known. As the ones who brought everyone back, and destroyed the Black Order. We ended a galactic maniac hellbent on genocide, we were pretty famous...

"Still, thanks but no thanks." I shrugged, "Let me know if something happens, talk to you later." I hung up before he could press the matter further, sighing as I made my way over to the couch and slumped into it.

Richard Rider, yes get your giggles out now, was actually from Earth. Evidently, a member of the Nova Corps managed to escape Thanos' attack on Xandar and fled to earth after learning what Thanos was after. He was fatally wounded however, and passed off his power to Richard, the young man that found him. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a warning came too late, Richard Rider had no idea how to find the Avengers or how to use his new power, the Nova Force. And well, ended up Snapped before he could do anything.

According to him, he was called back to Xandar once everything was fixed. The young man didn't really have much else going for him so... He left.

Since then, he's been Xandar's resident super hero. Normally, the Nova Force would be divided among it members of the Nova Corps, but following the example made by the Avengers they decided to keep it together inside of Richard. Letting him be their supreme power, and from what I've seen he's certainly no joke. Though he is still pretty green, his power is damn near comparable to Captain Marvel's. He was a good man, maybe a little naive, definitely inexperienced, but he could go far here.

"So... No training?" Mayhem questioned, leaning over the couch behind me.

"So it would seem." I answered with a shrug.

"Bah, of course..." She grumbled, flipping over the couch and flopping down in my lap. "But I'm so booooooored!"

I chuckled a little, her childish demeanor sometimes accurately reflecting her age. "Hey, peace times are not boring, once we get things all sorted out we'll have more action than we'll know what do with," I reminded, "So enjoy the quiet while you can."

Before she could respond, a dark shadow was cast over the building. Sunlight outside blocked out by some foreign object in the sky above. Both of us made our way to the window, stepping out onto the balcony to see what was happening. "What the hell?"

A massive ship was looming overhead, bulky and armed to the teeth with cannons, but it looked more like a cargo ship than anything else. It was slowly descending on an open fielded area outside of the main city, far away from any kind of space port. And something told me these guys weren't just visiting...

"Action time?" Mayhem questioned, barely containing her excitement.

I saw a flicker of golden light in the sky, Nova flying towards the ship. If he was on the move... "Yeah, I guess so, come on." I held out one hand to her so we could merge.

"Yay~!" Mayhem was beaming, and rather than taking my hand she threw her body on top of me. Melting into my form before her second skin began to cover my own. Suiting up fully, before two large black and blue wings sprouted from my back.

I was just about to take off, when I heard a high pitched ringing from inside my apartment. I turned around, to see that all my electronic devices were going off. Their screens flickering to life, displaying the angular face of a machine. A smooth chassis with bright yellow eyes, and a humanlike mouth.

"People of Xandar, my name is Alkhema." Her voice echoed not just from the devices but all around the city. This wasn't a message aimed at me, it was some kind of broadcast. "Your world has been deemed an appropriate source of metal, surrender peacefully and nobody will be harmed... This is the only warning you will be given." Before the transmission ended.

I sighed heavily, before stepping out onto the balcony ledge. "Alright, fight time it is!" Before I jumped, spreading my wings wide and heading for the ship. "This will be your first real fight Mayhem, are you ready?"

**_"I was born ready!" _**

* * *

**Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed the opening! I have many plans for this story, sadly none of them are an update schedule so expect chapters at random! Sorry DX**

**But with this story we are breaking entirely away from the MCU, so expect villains and characters that haven't yet appeared in the MCU! You may notice we've got two already! And there is more to come! **

**As always thanks for reading, and welcome back :D**


	3. I've Wasted Too Much Time

**Glad you guys are excited! Updates will probably be more spread out as my life has gotten quite a bit busier than it was last time. But I'll try to keep things consistent and produce higher quality chapters :3**

* * *

"I'm only going to give you rust buckets one chance to leave this planet!" I could hear Rider shouting, as he hovered in the air before the massive battalion of machines that had poured out of the space craft. Their must have been hundreds, but they weren't moving in a robotic manner, the soldiers seemed to have a more advanced way of thinking.

Each one stood taller than an average man, though they retained a humanoid shape. Bodies of glistening metal, with coils and cables running beneath their armor plating. Most were armed with some form of weapon, a cannon or blade in place of an arm. These machines were built for war, but I could see changes to their appearance. Hastily done remodels on their chassis, someone had recently remade their image...

Something about them was eerily familiar.

At the head of their battalion, stood the bot from the broadcast. A sleek design of white and black metal, she had sharp pauldrons on her shoulders and bladed gauntlets. The tech on her frame seemed a bit more advanced than the others, her design was special to whoever had made it.

"You have been warned," Alkhema replied, as I touched down nearby. "Destroy and harvest." She commanded, her yellow eyes turning a deep red color as the bots began their advance.

"Plan?" I asked, making my presence known to Nova.

"Destroy these tin cans, keep them out of the city at all costs." He said simply, body glowing brighter. "Smash the leader if you can, I'll focus on crushing the soldiers, and handle any that try to get past you!" Before he took off, flying over the battalion and unleashing golden beams of light. They cut clean through many of the machines, reducing them to scrap and drawing fire from the soldiers. Their energy weapons not seeming to have the punching power required to pierce his energy veil.

**_"Lets GO!" _**Before I felt a shift in our body, or more specifically inside of Mayhem. **_"Oh wait, I almost forgot!"  
_**

"What?" I questioned as we charged forward, already beginning to hulk up. Growing in size by almost an entire foot, muscles growing beneath Mayhem's protective skin. They opened fire on us as well, their bolts burned against her skin but did no real damage. "What are you doing?"

Before music suddenly began to fill my head, drums and guitar in a much darker tone echoing inside our mind.

"You seriously brought those stupid earbuds?"

**_"What was the point of buying them if we can't use them!?" _**She argued, As I jumped high into the air using my immense strength. **_"Besides, I want to kick ass with music!" _**

"Ugh, fine but-" Before the opening lines of the song interrupted me.

_"Dead I am the one, exterminating son!"_

_"Slipping through the trees, strangling the breeze!" _

We slammed into the ground, uprooting the earth around us with our combined power, sending machines flying. "Could you have picked a song that's less... This?" Seriously? Dragula by Rob Zombie, why did Mayhem have to have such a... Violent taste in music?

**_"What are you talking about?" _**Mayhem questioned, as her hair shot out in different directions around us, stabbing through the faces and chests of multiple machines. **_"This song fits us perfectly~!"_**

_"Dead I am the sky! Watching Angels cry!"_

_"While they slowly turn, conquering the worm!" _

"Ugh fine whatever," Accepting that music collection from my Dad was a terrible idea. "Just focus on the fight!" The bots were throwing themselves at us, trying to drive blades into our body once they realized the energy cannons weren't working. "Oh now this is just cute," I smirked, body starting to spark with energy as I heated up. "Take cover, May!"

We'd practiced this before, so she responded quickly and slipped away beneath my skin. Though she was immune to my Gamma Radiation, I didn't want to risk burning her with the discharge. An ability I'd taken some time to learn how to use better over the last few months.

"HaaaAAAGH!" Unleashing the massive explosion, glad we outside the city, as a burning sphere of atomic green fire engulfed every bot within a hundred foot radius, melting into their bodies. They weren't completely destroyed, but most were utterly fried.

_"Dig through the ditches and BURN through the witches!"_

_"I SLAM in the back of my, DRAGULAAA!" _

Why did my new symbiote have to be a metal head? I mean, Venom enjoyed such calm relaxing music...

"Hmm, this planet's defenses were supposed to be minimal... It seems there may have been some miscalculations." I turned my head sharply towards her voice, seeing the steaming frame of Alkhema standing nearby. Though some of her chassis was red hot, she didn't appeared damaged at all by the blast.

_"Dead I am the rat! Feast upon the cat!"  
_

_"Tender-"_

"Yeah, no shit!" My eyes widened as Mayhem lunged from my body, evidently taking the earbuds with her. Throwing caution to the wind as she pounced on Alkhema attempting to surprise her. Her clawed hands lashed out against the androids body but barely even succeeded in scratching the surface. "What?" Yeah hold on, I know for a fact she could shred most common metals, what was this thing made of!?

"Species recognized, Klyntar," She stabbed one arm forward suddenly, directly into Mayhem's chest making her hiss in pain. "Weakness, sonic frequencies."

"AAAAAAGH!" Her scream physically hurt me, as a high pitched ringing erupted from Alkhema's body, the arm she had embedded inside of Mayhem vibrating intensely.

I lunged for her, grabbing Mayhem and pulling her away with one arm while stepping forward. My other fist steaming as I cocked it back, blood boiling with rage. "You'll die for that, BITCH!" Okay, so maybe I did have... _Some, _maternal feelings for her. Slamming my She-Hulk fist into her face, and sending Alkhema flying with a smaller atomic explosion, smashing and crashing through the remains of her other forces. While I turned attention to May, "Hey, hey are you alright?"

Her body was a little unstable, melting and shimmering. "Ngh! I-It hurts..."

I clenched my fist tighter, "Okay, get back inside, I'll handle this." I ordered, not too harshly. I know Mayhem was still learning, and this was the first fight she been in that wasn't just training. She nodded, taking my hand and melting away back inside. "Alright, now how many of these stupid bots are-"

_"-ig into the skin!"_

_"Knuckle crack the bone! 21 to win!"  
_

"Can we stop with the music already!?" I exclaimed, "Seriously this isn't-"

I was completely blindsided by a metal fist. The blow to my jaw ringing my bell hard and making me slid back on my heels. "Strength, exceptional, you are a fine specimen." Alkhema stood there staring back at me, nothing more than a small steaming dent in her faceplate from my punch. "Mission priorities adjusted."

I glared back at her, a bit of blood running from my lip. "Huh... You're one tough robobitch, I'll give you that." I tilted my head, cracking my neck as I squared up. "But you also just hurt my daughter so, I'm gonna tear you apart now."

_"Dead I am the Dog! Hound of Hell you Cry!"_

_"Devil on your back! I can never die!"_

I threw another punch, she met this one head on with her own. Her metal knuckles colliding with mine, but it wasn't just some kind of counter. She'd stepped back, forcing me to lean into it, and struck when my fist was past the point I'd have the most leverage. Swinging low with the other arm and uppercutting me, the impact knocking me right off my feet and into the air.

Before she grabbed me by the ankles, turning and slamming me face first into the ground. I rolled over just in time to catch her wrist, as she attempted to plunge a wrist mounted blade into our body. I pulled it aside before clenching everything tight, eyes lighting up. "HAAAAAAGH!"

_"Dig through the ditches! And BURN through the witches!"_

_"I SLAM in the back of my, DRAGULAAA!"_

Another thunderous explosion, this one more focused on the immediate area. I kept my grip on her arm tight, as the blast consumed her at point blank range. The music was finally coming to a stop, as the lights faded away. I was still holding onto an arm, but the rest of her body had been pushed back quite a ways. The burns across her form were more severe now, super heated metal showing signs of wear and tear as a few circuits sparked.

I pushed myself up, panting lightly. "Not looking too hot there, Alkhema."

"So it would seem..." She shifted slightly, her eyes flickering before turning yellow once more. "New orders transmitted... Very well, it seems this world will be spared for the time being."

As if I wasn't seconds away from destroying her, "Hang on! Who the hell are you working for?" I demanded, as she began limping back towards the large ship. Looking around, I could see what remained of the machines were also returning to the ship. Many of them were carrying the destroyed remains of their comrades, piling on the scrap.

"Information classified." She answered simply, before suddenly stopping. "... New directive received... The master wishes to speak with you," She said, turning back around to look at me. "Will you follow?"

I blinked, "Yeah uh, tell your master to blow it out his ass." I didn't have any interest in getting wrapped up in this, or walking into a trap.

Her eyes flickered, "He has been informed..." Before continuing on her way.

Nova touched down next to me, "Uh... We just gonna let her leave?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, this whole thing was... Weird, destroy her if you want but... If she's an AI, she'll just transfer to another body so its pointless." That's what I remember Stark telling me anyways, way back in the day. "How is the city?"

"Fine," He assured, "I stopped most from getting close, any stragglers that got past were taken out by the automated defenses, there's some property damage but nobody got hurt."

"Nice." I nodded, looking up at the ship as it began to rise from the ground. Gusts of wind picking up around us, "I have a feeling that isn't the last we'll see of them."

Just as we were about to clear the field, several of those golden fighter crafts the Nova Corps used flew by. Surrounding us both, hovering above the earth as a voice projected from within. While golden blaster cannons were trained on me specifically.

"By order of Nova Prime, you are to report to Command for questioning."

Great, today just keeps getting better...

**. . .**

"And have you finished tracing their jump signature?"

"We're trying, but they're using jump technology we've never seen before."

"I don't want excuses, we need to know the origin of this attack!"

The command center was in chaos, as those remaining few of the Xandar Hierarchy frantically did what they could to stifle their fear of another invasion. And I can't say I blamed them, after having their planet invaded and its people slaughtered. But as I entered alongside Rider, much of their chatter quieted down and all eyes landed on us. Or, perhaps more specifically... Me. I could already see footage of my fight playing across monitors, evidently picked up by observation crafts.

"Nova," The leader of Xandar, an older woman with snow white hair, bearing heavy scarring on the right side of her face and missing her right arm. "Excellent work on repelling the assault, if you'd please come with me we have... Matters to discuss."

I simply crossed my arms, having a good idea as to why I was here but... I might as well try my chances. "Good luck."

"You too." She added, shooting me a sharp look before making her way into another nearby room.

Nova looked back at me, shrugging before following as well. I sighed and went along with it, passing through the door that quickly closed tight behind me. We were in some kind of conference room now, no other guards or unwanted ears. The woman turned on us, staring at Rider as if waiting for something. He seemed to know what it was about, and spoke. "Look, Commander Rael I know what you're thinking but-"

"You told me she was an enhanced Earthling," Rael cut her off, "Not a walking bomb with a dangerous alien living in her body!"

"Hey," I narrowed my eyes back at her. "That alien has a name, and she just helped fend off a robotic invasion." I scoffed, crossing my arms, "So maybe you could show a little gratitude?"

Nova shot me a look that said, "Not helping." But I really didn't care, I'd dealt with this woman before and it was hardly ever pleasant.

Irani Rael, respected and loved by the people for guiding Xandar through terrible times. She suffered terrible injuries during Thanos' invasion for the Power Stone, but was one of the few members of the leadership that survived. And was forced to live with that terrible loss...

"Gwen Stacy," She said my name, taking a deep breath before releasing it. "When we agreed to allow you sanctuary here, and access to what information we had on the Dark Sector, it was under the pretense that you wouldn't be here for long... And that you were not a danger to our people."

"Are you saying I've worn out my welcome?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well you certainly haven't made it easy to trust you after-"

"Alright!" Rider interrupted sharply, getting between us. "Both of you need to cool it," Before looking to Rael, "You never asked for a detailed account of her abilities, only if she was a threat."

"And you're saying she isn't?" The commander scoffed, "Those explosions could level entire blocks of our city!"

"That's why we fought outside the city," I replied simply with a shrug. "I know the dangers of my own abilities, _Rael_." I wouldn't refer to her as ma'am, or sir, or commander. And I could tell that bothered her. "I've lived here peacefully for four months helping your people rebuild, so don't get pissy because I'm a little more than you thought."

Irani clenched her fist tightly, "You will submit to a full evaluation of your abilities, and afterwards we'll decide if you are staying here any longer."

I scoffed at her. "Just like I told that robot, blow it out your ass." I saw Rider visibly cringe out of the corner of my eyes, Irani looking like I just slapped her across the face. "I'm gone, I'll be off Xandar by morning." I'd been here too long anyways, and I didn't want to get caught up in... Whatever the hell was going on with those robots if they came back.

I stormed out of the room, practically breaking the door as I forced it open. Marching past various defense workers and analysts who had their eyes trained on me. I didn't care, I was going to pack my things, find my way to the closest port and hitch a ride on whatever rusty tub would get me out of here.

"We've got it!" I stopped in my tracks at the man's outburst, as the holo map of the universe lit up on the center console. "We've pinpointed the origin of that ship!"

"Is it a known planet?" Irani seemed to have forgotten about me, as she reentered the room and moved to the center. "How far from here?"

"It's... Planet PH4-14NX." The analyst answered, "Coordinates place it right on the edge of the Dark Sector."

"Planet PH4-14NX?" Irani repeated, leaning forward on the console, "But, I don't understand..."

"You know this world?" Rider questioned, moving up beside her.

"Yes... It's the homeworld of the Architects," She explained with a nod, "But-"

Woah wait, hang on. "Architects?" I asked, fully focused on the conversation now. "I thought they were only interested in blowing up their own shit and collecting technology."

"You've encountered them before?" Rael questioned, showing visible interest.

"Not them specifically," I replied, crossing my arms. "But they sent a some kind of... Purifier, _thing,_ to earth years ago... We killed it, but I remember one of our uh..." I wasn't just gonna say wizards, "Informants, had some info on where it came from."

_"The Architects, as these alien inventors refer themselves as, wage constant war upon one another. Testing new weapons, their conflict breeding an endless, bloody cycle of creativity... In their scramble to gather more advanced technology they stumbled upon the remains of a dead God, and rebuilt it to serve their purpose. The Architects were not a threat to us until now, in fact we have encountered them before just a few years ago when they searched Earth for advanced technology to copy and take samples of."_

That's what Wong said, anyways...

"Well, you're absolutely right," Rael nodded, "The Architects don't ever leave their homeworld, a planet of mostly metal composition, they shouldn't have any need for more resources for their war machines."

Unless something is happening in the Dark Sector, dammit. Of course, it had to be the Dark Sector. Irani and Nova looked right at me, as if this had something to do with me. But I didn't bother saying anything or waiting for them to start talking. Turning tail, I left the command center. As I made my way home though, I realized Mayhem had been pretty quiet ever since the fight.

It was harder to read her than Venom, because our minds weren't completely linked. I could usually sense her stronger feelings, but we didn't know each other's thoughts like Venom and I did. Maybe this meant I wasn't a perfect match for her, or maybe it was because she didn't rely so heavily on symbiosis like Venom did, it was hard to say.

Wait a second...

_"Alkhema knew what you were." _I pointed out as we walked, the detail having completely slipped my mind at the time. _"She referred to you as Klyntar." _And knew what one of their weaknesses was. _"Dammit, I should have asked her more questions..." _

But still, I wasn't getting a response from Mayhem.

_"Hey, May? Are you alright?" _I asked, starting to get worried.

**_"... Are we going to fight more people like Alkhema?" _**She asked, her voice not sounding nearly as excited as usual.

There wasn't much point in sugar coating it, _"Yeah, that's pretty likely, why?"_

She was quiet again for a moment, but I could feel her hesitation. **_"That hurt... That weapon, really hurt..." _**

Right, of course. _"Yeah... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from it." _Her only experience fighting, was sparring matches with me or Nova. In both circumstances, we never fought with an actual intent to cause pain. _"We'll be more careful next time." _That sonic attack was, from my personal experience, one of the most painful things a Symbiote could go through. So, I think Mayhem was understandably shaken up a little.

**_"Right, next time... We'll do better next time." _**

She wasn't ready, I knew that. She didn't have Venom's soldier training, or his vicious killer instinct. Despite her abilities being comparable to his own, perhaps even greater than Venom's, she was still a child. She wasn't ready, but we couldn't sit around any longer.

"Get some sleep, May." I said aloud, stepping through the doorway into my home. "I'll make you something sweet for breakfast..."

**_"Okay... Thank you."_**

My own eyes shifted to my left arm, the one I'd lost at the hands of the Purifier and regrown thanks to Venom. I took a moment, remembering every terrible thing I'd been put through. Not the emotional trauma, but the physical pain. If not for Venom, I would have been dead a long time ago. I've been smashed, burned, stabbed, slashed, crushed, poisoned, and even lost a limb. It was a twisted realization for me, that somewhere along the way it stopped hurting as much...

"I know it hurts now... But it gets easier."

Even if I knew that wasn't a good thing...

It was all I could offer her.


	4. My Brief Time On Contraxia

True to my word, I was packing my things the next morning. The majority of it fit into a few bags I'd brought along from Earth. While other things, some of the more material items, had to be left behind. I didn't particularly care, and made sure to leave dad a message saying it would be a little while before I could make contact again. Either way, once everything was packed up, we made way to the cities main starport.

The city itself was on alert, with Nova Corp ships on constant patrol and most people staying inside their homes. Though yesterdays attack hadn't been very damaging, it reminded them all too well just how fragile their world was at the moment, and what they'd lost in the past. I didn't have any idea if those machines would come back, and I did feel for the people here but... Well, Knull threatened the entire galaxy, I couldn't sit around waiting to protect this place.

"About time you showed up," Why was I not surprised to find Rider waiting for me? "Thought you'd be gone before dawn... I could have slept in."

To which I rolled my eyes, "What do you want Rider?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You can't convince me to stay."

But he nodded, "I know, I wasn't planning on it... And Rael wants you gone so," He added with a shrug, "I just wanted to give you a gift." Before he brought up his wrist mounted computer. "There, I've transferred you some money for the road."

"Wait what?" I blinked, as the datapad on my belt lit up. "When did you get access to my account?" Quickly pulling it up, "Look I appreciate the gesture but I don't need-" Holy shit, "TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITS!?" Alright, maybe shouting that wasn't a very good idea.

Earning a laugh from Nova, "Wow! Haven't seen you light up like since May tried cooking."

I couldn't help it, she was just so cute in that apron! "Off topic!" I exclaimed, shaking my head and looking at Rider like he was insane. "This much money... But why?"

"You worked for dirty cheap and barely got the information you needed," He answered simply, "Nova Prime might be okay with screwing over Heroes but I'm not, so I've been saving up a little going away present."

I took a deep breath and sighed, calming myself. "Thanks, Rider I... Thanks," Smiling faintly, "I know I'll need it."

"Hey," He patted my shoulder, "You're gonna need more than money... Which is why this is only part of the present," Before leaning in a bit closer, "I picked through some files I wasn't supposed to, about what we knew on the Dark Sector." He whispered, making sure only I could hear him. "Turns out, you might not be the only one trying to poke around that side of space."

A lead? No way, "What do you mean? You found someone trying to go there?"

"Nothing concrete," Rider prefaced quickly, "But there's a guy on Contraxia, offering lots of units for protection right now... Apparently he hasn't found anyone he considers worth hiring."

I caught on quickly enough, "So he must be going somewhere very dangerous."

"My thoughts exactly." Nova nodded, stepping back before turning towards the port, "Dock 493, I think, has a transport heading for Contraxia, that place has got all kinds of scum and freelancers, you should be able to handle yourself though."

I nodded my head, mood lifting knowing I finally had a direction. "Thank you so much Rider, I owe you big time." Ignoring the fact the Nova Prime was keeping some information from me.

"Don't worry about it," He assured, waving me off. "Just stay safe, _both_ of you..." Before his smile faded slowly, "I really don't envy you Gwen... Going after someone like Knull? If he's half of what you described..." Shaking his head slowly, "You sure know how to pick your enemies."

I chuckled nervously at that, "Yeah, but I guess this is what I signed up for with Venom... Taking down a god."

"Well either way, I wish you both good luck." Offering me a handshake.

Of course, before I could return the gesture, May emerged from my body throwing her arms around him. "I'll miss you, uncle Rider!" Exaggerating as many eyes were drawn to the alien that just emerged from my body.

He stiffened as Mayhem squeezed him, laughing nervously and patting her on the back, "Yeah uh, thanks May... I'll miss you guys too."

I nudged May to make her release him, "Okay, come on May, you're scaring the locals."

She pouted, "Okay fine..." Taking my hand, she melted back into my body.

"Sorry about that," I chuckled, "She's just messing with you."

"Yeah yeah I know," He waved me off, "But, I mean it... It was nice having another Earthling around while I was uh..." He looked around at the various people still watching us, some starting to recognize just who he was. "Getting used to this."

I understood completely, "A whole different world than the one you left."

He released a scoffing laugh, "Yeah, Xandar ain't exactly like Earth." Brushing off the comment.

Not what I meant, but I think he knew that. "Alright, I'm gonna catch my ship and get comfortable for the ride." Stuffing both hands into the pockets of my jacket, "I'll be seeing you, might swing by again, not sure." I added with a shrug, "It's a big galaxy."

"Right, best of luck to you..." He wanted to say more, I know he did.

But he knew it wouldn't matter.

We departed on somewhat awkward terms. I think Rider wasn't quite sure how he felt about me. I sat somewhere between friend and interest for him I think. But any feelings he might have had for me... Well, I didn't return them. I knew the what I was doing, what it might cost me in the end. And finding some kind of love interest in the middle of all this? It would just get in the way, I had too much going on and needed to focus. Besides, I wasn't interested in him that way, and I think he only attached himself to me because well... I was from Earth.

He didn't know anything about me other than what I'd done. Rider respected me, but didn't know me.

So, after boarding the transport heading for Contraxia, I left Xandar behind and finally took the next step in my journey.

**. . .  
**

The trip was short, our ship just made way for the nearest jump point and we were on our way. I found myself a cozy, out of the way corner of our ship to wait. Avoiding most people, but there weren't many to begin with honestly. Not a whole lot of people were heading for Contraxia, which made sense. Nova described it as a criminal world, but I know Rocket mentioned it before.

A haven for the Ravager Clans, who weren't exactly loved by the rest of the galaxy. But hey, they showed up to help us defeat Thanos so... They couldn't be all bad right?

_**"So... What if this person we're looking for isn't what we need?"**_

I slipped into a sitting position as I waited, leaning against the wall. _"Then we look for another lead... Or, buy a ship and head straight to the Dark Sector." _

_**"That sounds reckless." **_Mayhem pointed out.

_"Because it is... But so is wasting more time." _

_**"..." **_I felt her presence shrink ever so slightly. Before she finally replied, **_"Was living on Xandar... A waste of time?"_**

Considering how little information we walked away with after four months- _"Kind of... I was expecting to be closer to our goal by now." _But it seemed like we still had a long way to go.

Before more could be said, I felt that familiar turbulence as we left the jump point. Dropping out of hyperspace, and looking out the window I could see the cold blue planet below. Rapidly approaching as we made our descent, **_"That planet does not look fun." _**

To which I chuckled, "Not sunny and welcoming like Xandar huh?" More turbulence rocked the ship, as we broke atmosphere and began passing through a thick layer of clouds. Revealing not a sprawling city-scape, but instead hundreds, maybe thousands of smaller buildings scattered across a wide stretch of the frigid landscape. Lights of all kinds were flickering across the surface, ships landing or taking off in various locations.

In fact, our ship didn't even land at some kind of dock like the one we'd left from. Just came down in a wide open piece of land near the edges of the main city, letting us out via a large ramp. We filed out of the ship, along with a small crowd that began splitting off the moment we hit the snow. While others began loading up onto the ship, various mechanics starting work on repairs and refueling.

"So this is Contraxia..." I said aloud, eyes drifting between the various buildings, and their many neon signs. "It's like if Vegas wasn't in the desert..." Oh well, we had a mission- or, well... We had a lead to follow. So I started heading into the city, earning plenty of looks from the locals. Probably because I was wearing a tank top, the cold didn't bother me too much and despite the snowfall this place was actually pretty mild.

Where would a guy with a lot of money be hiring protection? Maybe a bar? Or is there an actual place to do that kinda business around here?

"Aaaagh!" I looked up just in time to see a large man getting thrown out a window, while the sound of laughter and music followed from inside. He landed harmlessly in a snowbank, groaning as he rolled over.

"Something tells me we aren't going to find any reputable business around here..." I muttered, stepping past him and continuing down what might have been the main street.

We wandered up and down the streets, searching for any sign of what might point us in the right direction. Eventually, when we began nearing the center of the sprawling town, I spotted a building larger than most of the others. People were going in and out, but it wasn't a club or bar or... Whatever those weird brothels with robotic prostitutes were. Not much of a crowd either, the guards at the door were holding some high tech rifles too.

"Hmm..." Seemed like a good a place to check as any. I was just stepping forward when somebody stumbled against me, an alien with rough skin wearing a familiar longcoat. The same kind most Ravager's wore.

"Woah hey there~" His words were slurred, this man was clearly drunk. "I didn't order a hot date, but if you're just gonna throw yourself at me like that-"

My eyes widened as I felt him grip my butt. "Alright creeper," I lifted him off me with one hand, holding him up by the front of his coat. My cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment and anger, "I guess we're about to see if pigs _can_ fly!"

"Put him down!" I looked around to see a number of other Ravagers with their weapons trained on me. While others were watching, most looking excited to see another brawl break out. "NOW!"

I wasn't afraid of these goons, but this had been an effective way to get attention. "Your friend needs to learn some manners," I stated, making sure I was nice and loud. "But if you're looking for a fight, I'll gladly teach an entire class..."

"Stand down!" Another, much deeper and rougher voice sounded. All eyes turned towards the man, tall and grizzled with age. His graying hair was slicked back, but his face was clean shaven. He didn't have any weapons drawn, but he was flanked by a woman in green armor, and an alien man with diamond-like skin. Both the leading man, and the woman looked human. The others lowered their weapons slowly, putting them away. While he locked eyes with me, "Now can you please return their drunken idiot?"

"Hmph, fine." Before tossing the buffoon into his comrades, knocking a few over. "But for the record, I didn't need your help."

To which he chuckled in response, "Oh, I know," He assured while stepping forward, "It's them I'm worried about... Stakar Ogord." He added, extending a hand. "Ravager Captain."

I quirked an eyebrow, slowly reaching up and shaking his hand. "Gwen Stacy... You seem to carry weight here, maybe you can help me find who I'm looking for."

"Gwen Stacy?" He repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "As in... _The_ Gwen Stacy? Who killed Thanos?"

Oh boy, "Yeah, that's me." I assured with a nod before leaning in. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep a low profile for the time being."

Stakar nodded, as we finally broke apart. "Of course... I heard about what you did, I wasn't on Earth during the battle but... Some good boys told us the story," He explained, "Whatever I can do to help you, you've got my Clan's assistance."

Well that was a relief, "I'm looking for someone, I don't know the name but... Rumor has it he's on Contraxia, offering a lot of money for a bodyguard but hasn't hired anyone yet."

Stakar raised an eyebrow at that, "I didn't think you'd be looking for mercenary work."

I rolled my eyes, "Look, it's complicated, I don't need a job I just might need to go where he's going... Do you know who I'm talking about or not?"

Stakar nodded slowly, "Yeah, I got a pretty good idea, follow me I'll take you to him."

He started leading the way, more eyes landing on us as we went. I guess this Stakar guy was pretty famous, just being near him had me in the spotlight. Maybe not a good thing, but there wasn't much I could do about it now. We eventually passed through the doors of that larger, guarded building. Stakar's comrades waited in the lobby, while he lead me up a set of stairs.

Right into a room lavished with all kinds of expensive looking foods and drinks. Girls of various alien races were hanging around a single man sitting on a couch in the center. The man in question looked human, but something was off about him. He wore fine robes, his skin lightly tanned, he had white eyes and wild white hair. The moment his eyes laid on me, a large grin spread across his lips and he leaned back, drink in hand.

"Oh my, she is quite a large one... Not really my type," Is... Is he really- "But I am always willing to try new things~"

I looked to Stakar, "Please don't tell me this is him."

But he simply gave me an apologetic shrug, before stepping forward. "Tivan, this is Gwen Stacy and she's interested in that job of yours." Before looking back to me, "Gwen, this is Tivan, but he usually goes by-"

"The Collector," He interrupted with a smirk, before sipping his strangely colored drink. "A pleasure to meet you... Oh the tales I've heard, you might be exactly what I am looking for."

I narrowed my eyes sharply, "Alright, so what's the job?" Make him think I'm taking it, just to get the idea of where he's going.

"So impatient," Tivan chuckled in amusement, "Please, let me give you the exposition first~" Winking at me before quickly continuing, "You see, some time ago, Thanos destroyed my collection, artifacts and creatures I'd gathered over centuries... I thought about giving up my ambitions, but a new bit of information has slipped into my network," He explained, "About a very powerful, very ancient artifact..."

Alright, he had my attention for the moment. "What exactly is this artifact?"

"Tell me, Gwen Stacy... Do you believe in Gods?" But he never gave me the chance to answer, "They exist... Or rather, they _did._" He added with a shrug, "Eons ago, at the very creation of our universe, they guided the growth of life on various worlds... Thousands of years ago however, they vanished, leaving behind nothing of their existence aside from many lost artifacts."

Was he saying this item was- "So you've located an artifact that belonged to the Gods?"

His eyes lit up with excitement, "Ah, so you are more than just a brute, good... Yes, a weapon in fact..." A Weapon that belonged to a god? "That weapon, is known as All-Black, a blade of sorts that I've seen mentioned various times in what bits of ancient history I could recover."

I crossed my arms, not at all hiding my suspicions. "And you want this weapon? Why?"

"I have no interest in war or death, Gwen Stacy," He waved off my suspicions, "I want it, because it is an artifact from the beginning of time itself! Besides, I doubt I could wield it anyways." He added with a shrug, "My network has given me a few clues of a location this lost artifact may reside, I want you to take me there to retrieve it."

"And how exactly did you locate this artifact?" I questioned, this almost sounded too easy.

"Well I have nothing concrete," The Collector stated simply, "But, in the bits of old texts I could make out, any mention of All-Black usually coincides with Death." Oh, well isn't that lovely. "At first, I thought this was simply a reference to it being a weapon, causing death... But the more I learned the more I am sure it coincides with Death itself!" He declared, rising from his seat. "And there is only one planet in the known universe, that is consistently been dubbed throughout history as the dominion or death."

My eyes widened, remembering Nebula's words way back then. "Vormir."

To which The Collector nodded, "Yes, at the center of celestial existence this planet resides, unchanging... Unmoving." He explained, "I believe All-Black can be found there."

Well, bad memories of that planet aside, it wasn't exactly dangerous. "Alright, fine... I'll take you to Vor-"

A burning light flashed in through the windows suddenly, it was damn near blinding. Both Stakar and I moved towards the open shudders, staring out over the city towards the source. My eyes widened, seeing a towering pillar of flames erupting from the ground somewhere amid the buildings. The Collector took in the sight as well, "Oh my, now what might that be?"

"It's bad is what it is," Stakar scoffed, heading for the stairs, "I'm gonna go check it out!"

I watched him go, my eyes darting to the streets watching the Ravagers fleeing from the tower of flames. I swallowed nervously, all those damn instincts of mine kicking in.

_**"So... Are we going to help?" **_

To which I sighed heavily, "Alright, I guess I'm getting involved." Dammit, "You, stay right here and wait for me." I ordered the Collector, before heading down the stairs as well. _"I swear, if one more stupid thing gets in my way..." _

**. . .**

The pillar was burning out by the time we neared the scene, it reached high into the sky piercing the clouds themselves. The heat was sweltering, snow melting all around the area, both Stakar and I were still well over a hundred yards away but it the inferno was already making me sweat. I could see Ravagers running, some dragging injured or dead comrades to safety as the fire died down, while others outside the blast radius had weapons at the ready just waiting for a target. There was a smouldering crater at the epicenter, while nearby buildings had been reduced to molten slag, steam was making it hard to see thanks to all the snow.

_"Stay inside, fire isn't good for you."_ I ordered Mayhem, narrowing my eyes as Stakar came to a stop. "Any idea what the hell this is?"

"Nothing like I've seen before," He replied, shaking his head. "But those flames ain't natural, not fuel fires either." Stakar pointed out, and I realized he was right. It wasn't like any fire I'd ever seen, the ones that had spread from the initial pillar were burning a deep shade of red. "Only kinda flames I've seen discolored like that come from... Well, people."

"Or monsters." His diamond skinned comrade added. Before he grabbed another man limping out of the blast radius, "You! What the hell happened? You see anything?"

He was covered in severe burns, but it looked like his now tattered armor had taken the brunt of the explosion. "H-Hands off! I-I didn't do anything!" Well that sounded convincing.

"People are dead," Stakar chimed in, grabbing him by the front of his armor. "Now TALK!"

"Okay okay!" He winced in pain from the forced movement, "There was this... Smoking hot red chick," He explained nervously, "Me and the boys wanted to see if she'd be up for a little fun ya know, real innocent!"

I narrowed my eyes sharply, "And I'm sure you took no for an answer too right?" I asked with a scoff.

He seemed to shrink under my accusation, "A-Anyways... She got mad, threw a fireball that killed Dorn, so we pulled out guns, shot her up good but then she just-"

He was silenced as Stakar punched him across the mouth, letting him fall to the ground. "Damn moron... Well, sounds like they pissed off someone they shouldn't have."

"Yeah..." I nodded, looking towards the steaming crater, "Alright, I'm going in."

"I'll back you up." Stakar offered.

"You sure that's a good idea?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow. "No offense, but you look just as squishy as the rest of these guys, wouldn't want you getting incinerated."

He smirked faintly, "I can handle myself little girl, now lets go." Pressing a button on his wrist, a helmet formed over his head, followed by thrusters igniting on his boots. The Ravager captain took flight, heading for the center.

I watched him go, before sighing heavily and shaking my head. "Don't say I didn't warn you old man." Before following him on foot, taking my sweet time as I crossed the heated landscape. Things were already starting to cool down, the frigid temperatures reclaiming the charred streets. I spotted Stakar flying over the crater, keeping his distance from the ground when a buzzing sounded in my ear.

"I see someone through the steam, looks like the culprit is still alive." He said through my own earpiece, "Oh, and I hope you don't mind me hacking your comm."

"Kinda do."

"Welp, better to ask forgiveness than permission right?"

"Just shut up and keep a safe distance." I ordered, stepping up to the craters edge. "HEY!" I shouted into the mist, "You alive in there, hot head?" The response came in the form of a blood red fireball, one I only just barely managed to dodge as it cut through the steam between us. "Whoa! Easy! I know it's the Ravagers' fault that this happened, we don't have t-"

My words hitched, as a figure burst through what little remained of the cloud. It was a woman, and true to what the ravager had said, her skin was red. She had piercing yellow eyes that glowed brightly while burning into my own with raven black hair kept in check by a golden band. Her form was fit, arms bare aside aside from the blood red flames that now cloaked her cocked back fist. She was wearing a skin tight black tank-top with a high collar, and black armored pants with heavy boots.

I had little time to do more than bring up an arm to block her incoming punch. And as it struck my forearm, a fiery explosion was released against my skin burning into me. "Nnngh! Dammit," I hissed in pain, looking back at her. From this close, I could see the bony ridges that lined her face, expression changing to one of surprise as she noticed my burned skin healing rapidly. "I tried to be nice and you tried to blow me up," I stated with a smirk. "Ouchy hurty time!" Before throwing my head forward, slamming my brow into hers.

"Agh!" She gasped in pain, stumbling back. I followed through quickly, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and lifting her right off the ground with my super human strength. She was much short than me, while I towered at seven feet she couldn't have been more than five and a half, _maybe._ I followed through, slamming her into the ground, not too hard just enough to knock the wind out of her. As she hit the ground however, I noticed the marks along her exposed arms, burns from whatever the Ravagers had shot her with already.

_"All things considered, she was technically acting in self defense... Albeit a little excessively." _I reasoned, keeping my hand in place to hold her down. "Are you finished?" I questioned, as Stakar landed nearby with his weapon trained on the alien woman. Her eyes darted to him, narrowing sharply before looking back at me and nodding slowly. "Okay," I let go and stood back up, looking to the Ravager Captain. "Alright, if we're done here I've gotta get moving."

"Right," He nodded slowly, cautiously lowering his weapon. "I'll have the boys get this one on a shuttle offworld, before one of them does something stupid and makes her blow up again..."

"Fine by me." I shrugged, "But I'm not helping if one of your idiots sets her off again." As I started leaving the crater.

"Wait!" Stopped briefly, half turning as she called out to me. "Just one moment, mighty one..." She had sat up, but was know bowing on her hands and knees before me. "Please, forgive my aggression, this planets inhabitants have been less than hospitable." Why is she talking like that? "I did not expect to find a _real_ warrior among them."

**_"She talks funny."_ **

"Uh... Alright, sure whatever I guess." I replied, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. But she didn't move from her spot on the ground, "Okay, get up," I ordered, kneeling down damn near pulling her to her feet. "You don't have to bow to me just because I kicked your ass, just don't burn anyone else alive okay?" I offered, patting her on one shoulder before finally releasing the somewhat startled looking alien woman.

"Of course," She bowed with just her upper body this time, "This planet must be yours," Wait what? "I did not mean to cause conflict, I merely came looking for assistance and was told the warriors here would help me..." Her eyes slowly narrowing once more, as she stood back up. "But they were not so keen on providing it."

To which Stakar chimed in, "Nobody _own_s Contraxia, and Ravagers will do anything within the Code for the right price." He added with a nod, "So either you were offering something that breaks the code, or-"

"You're broke." I surmised with a shrug, "Either way, Stakar is right I don't own this planet," I added with a scoff, "I've been here for like, two hours... And I've gotta keep moving, so whatever business you still have here is between you and the Ravagers." I already had a bad feeling about this, I needed to move, before that stupid good nature of mine got me into more trouble.

"W-Wait! Mighty One!" She grabbed me by the wrist as I turned away, making me stop once again. But she quickly let go as if she'd done something she wasn't supposed too, looking up at me with an all too familiar look in her eyes. "You are correct, I do not have any form of your currency... But I can be of service, I only ask for protection." She explained quickly, bringing her hands together, as if she were begging. "I-If you must be on the move, that is even better!"

That face, I knew that face. "You seem pretty damn capable of protecting yourself." Stakar motioned to the crater around us.

No, it wasn't just desperation, it wasn't just about what she could do herself. "... Dammit," This woman was running from something, I could tell that much. And she didn't trust her own power in facing it. "So... Just a ride and a bodyguard? That's it?"

**_"New friend?" _**

_"I don't know yet." _

She nodded quickly, "Yes, yes that is all, I will not hinder you Mighty One, I swear!" Bowing her head once again.

I knew her face, because it was my face, once upon a time. "Alright, fine... But no more bowing and my name is Gwen, not 'Mighty One'." I scoffed, waving her off. "What's your name? Or should I just call you Red?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"No... Ashka, my name is Ashka."

* * *

**Hey guys! long time no see, heheh, yeah sorry about the delay in continuing. I think it's safe to say this chapter went through development hell. That coupled with the incredible anxiety of this stories scope, as well as me throwing out my back last week, has certainly made it a fun time :D **

**But yeah, while working on the outline for this story I became a little overwhelmed and needed a break from trying to write it. Took some time off, did a short little side project story and now I'm back. I completely cut up and put together what was originally two separate chapters, because I realized they were only 2 full length chapters because I was padding runtime that I didn't need too. **

**That being said, hopefully things will progress quicker from here, but still don't expect more than 1 chapter a week/every two weeks _if that._ **

**Anyways, in a more positive set of news, I have added a link to a private Google Doc on my profile, where I'll be story images I've used as models for new characters that will be showing up in this story. So far, only Ashka is there, but feel free to take a look! I'll try my best to update as new characters are introduced since more often than not they use a reference image.**

**Alright, enough talk, I'm gonna go back to bed now...**


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